What

A stronger statewide philanthropic presence that bridges geographic and organizational boundaries and diverse interests among funders

A united voice for public policy issues affecting philanthropy

Improved opportunities for learning and collaboration

The ability to engage a broader range of stakeholders

Streamlined support for nonprofits and philanthropy

Why

Philanthropy CA taps into the deep regional expertise and connections of funders to increase philanthropy’s impact in building and sustaining thriving, equitable communities. Together, we can impact our members, the nonprofits they support and the communities they serve.

We welcome feedback to any of us individually or to the group through Philanthropy CA's Chief Administrative Officer, Karen Freeman.

Events

Nonprofits have something important in common: the need to be a healthy organization to effectively provide services, assess community needs, and adapt to emerging trends. So… how can you gauge whether an organization is healthy? Organizational assessment tools can help! However, it can be hard to know where to start. We invite you to join the Hewlett Foundation’s Jennifer Wei and Prithi Trivedi and Informing Change’s Tina Cheplick and Theresa Esparrago Lieu as they walk you through the databaseof over 90 assessment tools abd the accompanying memothey created, highlighting learnings from a landscape scan of organizational assessment tools and in-depth interviews with nonprofits and funders to better understand the use of assessment tools.

Our Philanthropy California colleagues are responding as they can to the wildfires in Southern California. We are lending our expertise where it is needed.

Wildfires in Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties are forcing thousands of people from their homes and destroying millions of dollars in property. We will keep this page updated with information that could be helpful in responding appropriately to these disasters.

Philanthropy California News

The City of Stockton is an example of the resilience and hope that make California a great state. It is a city known for its diversity and also for its challenges, such as when it filed for bankruptcy in 2011. But like the Phoenix of Greek mythology, Stockton is rebuilding itself as a city committed to setting the pace for how great cities will be governed in the future and what they will do to attract and care for their residents. The city’s extraordinary turnaround is being recognized.

Our state is great because of the strength we draw from our diversity, including the 10 million immigrants who live here. Immigrants and their families are our classmates and colleagues, our neighbors, and family members. No matter where someone comes from and regardless of citizenship status, we are stronger when we work together, find new ways to deal with old challenges, and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Mayor Michael Tubbs recently spoke with NCG in preparation for an upcoming Stockton Reinvention Tour for funders. Mayor Tubbs was elected in 2016 in a landslide victory with 70% of the vote. Since then, Stockton has become the second most fiscally-healthy city in the state and has innovated new programs like a basic universal income pilot, which guarantees a monthly income of $500 to a segment of Stockton residents, and Advance Peace, which is a gun violence prevention program that pays those most likely to commit gun-related crimes.

Philanthropy California voices our unequivocal support for the “Johnson Amendment” – the long-standing federal law that prohibits 501(c)(3) charitable organizations from endorsing, opposing or contributing to political candidates and engaging in partisan campaign activities. We are proud to join the diverse coalition of organizations who support the protections now afforded by the Johnson Amendment.

California has long been home to a special kind of American Dream. People from all walks of life come to our state to find opportunity and prosperity. Since we were granted statehood in 1850 after the Mexican-American War, when the population was just less than 100,000, we have grown to the most populous state in the nation, with nearly 39 million residents.

Last month NCG weighed in on its first public policy issue – opposing changes to San Francisco’s campaign finance and conflict of interest laws. True, it’s not the sexiest of issues but it was one with huge implications for philanthropy and our partners in government and the nonprofit sector.